Great drives: New Zealand

11 June 2013 Sam Hall

It's little wonder some of the best racing drivers in the world call New Zealand home.

The small country of 4 million people punches above its weight when you consider some of its home-grown exports over the years: the likes of Greg Murphy, Denny Hulme, Jim Richards, Paul Radisich, Possum Bourne and Steve and Rod Millen.

But then again New Zealand's roads are hardly like those anywhere else. Drive recently traversed the North and South Islands aboard Mazda's new CX-5.

The challenge took us from the stunning surrounds of Queenstown, through the rebuilding city of Christchurch, across the Cook Strait to Wellington, and north to Auckland.

For a country that holds the promise of a great exchange rate and spectacular scenery, we discovered the roads that take you there are equally impressive.

Queenstown to Christchurch

Queenstown locals regularly say that the further south you go, the prettier New Zealand becomes.

And they have a point. This gateway to New Zealand's outdoor playgrounds has a distinctly European feel. It's a bit of a cross-road for everything: snow-capped mountains plunge into the shimmering waters of Lake Wakatipu, while snow lodge-style buildings line the CBD.

We drive north out of Queenstown along State Highway 6 and eventually stumble across the famous Kawarau Bridge, built in the 1880 and home to the world's first bungy jump.

If you salivate at the thought of a gravity-fuelled 43-metre plunge towards the Kawarau River, obligatory waivers and a $NZ180 departure fee await. Otherwise, stand and admire the chorus of yellowing autumn poplar trees, rolling green mountains and the unmistakable aqua blue of the Kawarau River. It's stirring stuff.

Further north is the quaint township of Cromwell, where we get our first taste of the country's strong motoring roots. The small town is home to the new Highlands Motorsport Park, a $NZ20 million facility owned by pet food magnate and motor racing enthusiast Tony Quinn. He has aspirations for the circuit and adjoining museum to become a future venue for V8 Supercar races.

We leave the Otago poplars in the rear-view mirror and head north towards the stunning Lindis Valley and into the Waitaki region, along a tight, twisting, coarse section of Highway 6.

The roads are impeccable and there doesn't appear to be the same level of draconian speed policing as Australia (we crossed two highway patrol cars during our time on the South Island).

Bombed-out Fords and Commodores share the roads with myriad Japanese grey exports, which make their way to New Zealand under relaxed import laws. There's also the notable scourge of campervans, though the mix of grey nomads and young couples that occupy them are all happy to chat.

Further north at Twizel, a small township originally built to service the Waitaki Hydroelectricity Scheme, we meet an amiable young bloke by the name of Jacob Shadrock.

A 22-year-old fish farmer, he tells us the town's chinook salmon have become a delicacy across New Zealand and abroad.

“We have 90,000 fish in our ponds at any one time, and we can't keep up with demand,” he gleams. “I can't get enough of the salmon; there are so many different ways to eat it and they leave this place in perfect health.

“This is a really pristine area. At the moment the water is beautiful milky blue because part of a glacier broke off about 50 kilometres upstream. It usually takes around 10 months to clear.”

From Twizel, we take Highway 8 towards Lake Tekapo and Geraldine before taking the Highway 1 exit towards Christchurch.

Christchurch to Wellington

There is still overwhelming visual evidence of the earthquake that jolted Christchurch in 2011, killing 185 people.

Empty, dust-filled high-rises and street-level shops are scattered throughout the city's "red zone", sitting as they were the day the 6.3-magnitude disaster struck. At the now defunct Man's Bakery and Cafe, rotted food lies untouched in the racks, while shuffled chairs and tables paint a picture of the violent tremors, and subsequent scramble for safety, which unfolded on that tragic February afternoon.

A few hundred metres away, at a makeshift precinct dubbed Container City (the shops are built within bright-coloured shipping containers), businesses are slowly rebuilding, albeit with fewer customers streaming through their doors.

“It's a slow process, but the containers have sort of turned this area into a tourist attraction,” one cafe owner says.

Those buildings that have been “red-stickered” – 1400 have been fully or partially demolished – are now surrounded by ubiquitous, sprawling car parks. Their days will be limited, though, as work intensifies on the $NZ30 billion government-funded reconstruction.

Until then, locals joke that at least there's no trouble finding a parking spot.

“You've got to be humorous about what happened here, otherwise you'll end up grey and morbid,” says Jonathan, a former band roadie who turned his hand to road works when the earthquake struck.

“Most of the time we're flat out with the rebuilding. There's another 10 or 15 years of work left probably – every single street has got to be ripped up at some stage.

“It's not so much cracks in the roads or anything like that, it's more what's wrong with the infrastructure underneath the road, like the storm water drains.

“But when it's not shaking, Christchurch is a really nice place.”

After Christchurch, we follow the dual carriageway (one of only two during our entire 1600-kilometre trip) north on Highway 1, towards Waipara.

After turning onto Highway 7 near Culverton, we merge onto Highway 70 inland, and soon enough we're back into the fun, twisty stuff again. Manicured roads meander through the charming countryside into Waiau, a small farming village where distant mountains, a running creek and deciduous willow trees form a stunning backdrop.

Continuing along Highway 70, we meet up again with Highway 1, heading towards the serene east coast.

In Kaikoura, a seaside fishing village, imposed catch quotas have enticed locals to take up year-round sperm whale and dolphin watching tours to supplement their incomes. A combination of temperate ground weather, beaches and snow-capped mountains in the distance mean Kaikoura's tourism trade is forever thriving.

From there, we continue through the Marlborough region's famous vineyards towards Picton, a picturesque port nestled at the head of the Queen Charlotte Sound, where our three-hour ferry ride to the North Island awaits (cost is $300 for a car and two people).

Wellington to Auckland

There is quite a degree of separation between some New Zealanders, particularly North and South Island residents. For example, you'll struggle to locate a map of the South Island when you're on the North Island, and vice versa.

But if you're from overseas, New Zealand boasts great hospitality. It was recently voted the second-most friendliest country in the world for overseas visitors, behind Iceland, in the list of 140 countries ranked by the World Economic Forum (Australia ranked 27th). Every local we crossed paths with seemed affable and happy to chat; even those whose arms and legs were clad with gang tattoos.

Leaving Highway 1 at Watohi and turning left, we followed Highway 3 through Wanganui and Patea.

From the black sand beaches at Patea, we continued north through Hawera, Elford, Stratford and Waitara. At Otorohanga, we merged onto Highway 39 towards Ngaruawahia, bypassing Hamilton, before joining Highway 1 and running the home stretch to Auckland.

Verdict

We crammed almost 1700 kilometres of driving into three busy days, arriving at each corner unhinged by the country's sheer beauty.

But more than anything, we left with a new-found understanding of why the world's car makers choose New Zealand as the backdrop for television commercials. It is one of the great drive-yourself destinations in the world, and not a bad place to scrub up on your own skills either.

Sam Hall travelled to New Zealand as a guest of Mazda.

New Zealand road trip

Where: Queenstown to Auckland

Total distance: About 1600 kilometres

Allow: At least four days

Ideal car: The ride-height, space and comfort of an SUV is great for absorbing the surroundings, but something with a bit more performance and drivability is equally enticing when you consider the roads.